Designated Survivor (TV Series)

Capacity (2018)

Kiefer Sutherland: Tom Kirkman

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Quotes 

• Eleanor Darby : Mr. President, I came to inform you that the Cabinet has concluded its deliberations.

  Tom Kirkman : I understand. Let's get this over with.

  Eleanor Darby : The majority of the Cabinet wishes you to... continue in your capacity of President.

  Tom Kirkman : I was not expecting that. Please thank them for this opportunity and their support. Needless to say, this has been a difficult time.

  Eleanor Darby : Well, sir, it's behind you now. It's behind all of us.

  Tom Kirkman : [she turns to leave]  Madam Vice President... what made them come to this decision?

  Eleanor Darby : Two things, sir. Your staff's loyalty to you through everything. Loyalty is a consequence of leadership. And leadership is a touchstone of competence.

  Tom Kirkman : And the second thing?

  Eleanor Darby : You. You, sir. The Tom Kirkman who started this job twenty months ago - ambivalent, aspirational, honest to a fault - is the same Tom Kirkman that they saw today. You have not changed one bit, sir.

• Kendra Daynes : Dr. Louden. Aaron. Emily. You.

  Tom Kirkman : West is only calling four witnesses.

  Kendra Daynes : That he's apprised us of. But depending on how his case is going, we may be in for a few surprises.

  Tom Kirkman : He's not obligated to follow typical notification procedures?

  Kendra Daynes : He's not, sir. The 25th Amendment proceeding is not a typical hearing.

  Tom Kirkman : One day prep. No, it's not.

• Tom Kirkman : Agent Wells, you have been a tremendous asset to your country, and to this administration. But I'm deeply troubled by what you've just told me, and for a number of reasons. But I'll start with the biggest one first. You do know who Andrea Frost is?

  Hannah Wells : Unfortunately, sir, I do.

  Tom Kirkman : She's not just a close personal friend of mine. She's a widely-respected industrialist. Someone who helped us save astronauts from the Space Station, helped us find the dirty bomb.

  Hannah Wells : All so she could get close to you, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm sorry. I might be missing something here, but your claim that Andrea Frost is responsible for all these hackings and murder is solely based on your assertion that she uses the Internet handle "Gamine" and is a fan of Alan Turing; which by the way, so am I.

  Hannah Wells : Mr. President, I know that all of this sounds very far-fetched. But this conclusion is a product of months and months of painstaking work. Have I ever led you astray before?

  Tom Kirkman : Thank you, Agent Wells. That'll be all.

• Tom Kirkman : Aaron, you were briefed on this from the beginning. What the hell?

  Aaron Shore : Sir, Hannah Wells is the best agent we've got.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm not disputing that. But she didn't prove anything. In fact, from where I sit, the only thing she managed to do was smear the name of one of our country's greatest entrepreneurs.

  Aaron Shore : I grant you, sir, her case is not ironclad. But... but if you connect all the dots...

  Tom Kirkman : And leap to every possible conclusion, you may - *may* - have found the hacker.

  Aaron Shore : Sir, Hannah Wells took down Patrick Lloyd. She figured out who was behind the dirty bomb. If she says there's something here, I-I'm inclined at least to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  Tom Kirkman : If you expect me to believe any of this, she needs to come back with more. A lot more.

• Tom Kirkman : This isn't what we agreed to, Senator. We had a deal.

  Senator : Which we're honoring by fully funding the medical research you advocate. $6 billion.

  Lyor Boone : Which you're offsetting by eliminating $6 billion in cost-of-living increases to Medicaid.

  Tom Kirkman : Meaning that if we were ever to discover new life-saving medication, most Americans couldn't afford it.

• Senator : Sir, we can't squeeze blood from a stone. We got to give somewhere.

  Emily Rhodes : How about the billions of dollars of pork your two parties have jammed into the budget?

  Senator Cameron Feller : If you're referring to the reasoned compromises that have gotten this budget the votes to pass...

  Tom Kirkman : There's absolutely nothing reasonable about our failure to care for our sick. I'm not signing it.

  Senator Cameron Feller : Your veto would shut down the government, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : You want to avoid a government shutdown, honor the deal. Or there's the door.

• Emily Rhodes : Sir, now may not be the time for hardball.

  Lyor Boone : She's right. We have 'till midnight to get this sorted out. Get the budget funded, then we can tackle medical research.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm not gonna be forced into making a choice between medical innovation and access to medical care. That will not be my legacy.

  Lyor Boone : [standing to follow Kirkman out]  Nope. It'll be hitting the self-destruct button right before getting dragged out of office.

• Tom Kirkman : Dax, thank you so much for coming. It's great to see you, man.

  Dax Minter : Always, Tom. But I'm assuming the suddenness of my summons means this isn't strictly personal.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, I wish it was, but I'm afraid you're right.

• Tom Kirkman : How well do you know Dr. Andrea Frost?

  Dax Minter : Pretty well. A woman like that in the tech sphere, she's a unicorn. Certainly makes an impression.

  Tom Kirkman : I asked you here because I think you're an excellent judge of character. And I need you to judge hers for me. Do you think she's capable of sabotage?

  Dax Minter : Sabotage?

  Tom Kirkman : Hacking into governmental and technological hubs.

  Dax Minter : If you're asking me could she do it, yeah. She's brilliant. If you're asking me would she...

  Tom Kirkman : I'm afraid that's what I'm asking.

  Dax Minter : You don't get to be the first female tech billionaire without a ruthless streak.

  Tom Kirkman : Yeah. But cyberterrorism? It just doesn't seem to fit the profile of the person I know.

  Dax Minter : I agree. But how well do we really know anyone?

• Dax Minter : So... how you doing with everything?

  Tom Kirkman : Well, besides the fact that half the country thinks I'm crazy... it's been a hard year. But I'm getting by.

  Dax Minter : If you need a breather, I have a bottle of 1823 Louis XIII with your name on it.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, when I find the time, I'd love to share it with you.

  [indicating a model car on his shelf] 

  Tom Kirkman : Until then, I've got a pretty cool reminder of you right here in my office.

  Dax Minter : They're rolling off the assembly lines as we speak. Come by. Take a real one for a spin.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, if I'm stil sitting in that chair in three weeks, I'll make it a priority.

• Ethan West : Yeah, I'd like to call my next witness, please. Dr. Frost.

  Tom Kirkman : [quietly to Kendra]  She's a private citizen.

  Ethan West : She has knowledge of the president's fitness, as per the tapes.

  Tom Kirkman : [quietly to Frost as she takes the stand]  I'm sorry.

• Kendra Daynes : Mr. President, the conversation you had with Dr. Frost, who was in the room with the two of you?

  Tom Kirkman : No one.

  Kendra Daynes : Which means she's cooperating with Ethan West.

  Tom Kirkman : No, she was subpoenaed.

  Kendra Daynes : To testify. Why would she volunteer details of a private conversation that incriminates you?

• Kendra Daynes : Hannah Wells gave me a dossier on Dr. Frost. I would like to use it to question her.

  Tom Kirkman : You want to suggest that she's the hacker, right?

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : No. I won't allow it. Understood?

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir.

• Tom Kirkman : How much damage did Moss do?

  Kendra Daynes : A respected ex-president. He hurt us, sir.

  Lyor Boone : It was brilliant.

  Tom Kirkman : Excuse me?

  Lyor Boone : Moss leaked classified intel. Now he's testifying against you. He helps oust you, his legal problems are over.

  Tom Kirkman : [getting the point]  Right. If I somehow manage to survive this, my administration's subsequent prosecution of him would look like political retribution.

• Lyor Boone : I think Moss is the reason your Cabinet turned against you.

  Tom Kirkman : They're all his people. I appointed them at his recommendation.

  Lyor Boone : They're loyal to him. I'm betting he orchestrated a whisper campaign. Primed his people for the 25th.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, I can't worry about what he did. I need to worry about what we're going to do. Kendra, where do we stand?

  Kendra Daynes : We're doing our best, sir, but we need to change hearts and minds, and I'm not sure we're doing that.

• Emily Rhodes : I just heard from leadership. More rollbacks.

  Tom Kirkman : [looking through the folder she hands him]  Everything we worked for for the last six months, they're throwing out.

  Lyor Boone : Mr. President, it's gonna get worse by the hour. You need to make a deal.

  Tom Kirkman : This isn't a deal. They're strong-arming us.

  Lyor Boone : If your last act is shutting down the government, it won't seem like an act of conscience.

  Emily Rhodes : It'll seem like spite.

  Lyor Boone : Or proof of insanity.

  Tom Kirkman : [thinking it over]  Son of a bitch. Fine. Emily, get the Congressional and Senate leadership back up here. We need to button this up.

• Tom Kirkman : A compromise?

  Ethan West : Yes, sir. You step down voluntarily and return to your post as HUD Secretary.

  Emily Rhodes : What's the president's stated reason for leaving?

  Ethan West : Pick one. He's not a politician, he doesn't like the aesthetic. No one's gonna bat an eye.

  Kendra Daynes : You have a well-deserved reputation for hardball. Why are you suddenly coming to the table?

  Ethan West : Because it's a win-win situation. I mean, do you need a better reason than that?

  Tom Kirkman : You're hedging your bets. Even though the deck's stacked against me, you're worried I might pull out an inside straight.

  Ethan West : Whatever my reasoning, it's a gift horse. Don't look it in the mouth.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm sorry, Mr. West. But if the Cabinet wants me out of this building, they're gonna have to do it the hard way.

  Ethan West : Okay, sir, but when you look back on this, remember I tried to give you a way out.

• Trey Kirkman : I'm sorry, Tom.

  Tom Kirkman : For what?

  Trey Kirkman : I hurt you in there.

  Tom Kirkman : You think I'm upset about what you said in there? Why didn't you tell me? I'm your brother. All those years, everything you were going through.

  Trey Kirkman : You were busy with your own life. I had spent mine being a burden. I didn't want to be that anymore.

  Tom Kirkman : Trey, you are not a burden.

• Tom Kirkman : When this whole thing is over, regardles of the outcome, I want us to go somewhere. Just the two of us, brothers.

  Trey Kirkman : And forty Secret Service.

  Tom Kirkman : Believe it or not, they're pretty good at keeping a low profile.

  Trey Kirkman : It's a deal, big brother. I know just the place. Fort Knox. I'll bring one suitcase...

  Tom Kirkman : I was hoping that we could go somewhere that wasn't gonna land you in jail.

  Trey Kirkman : Are you gonna show me the UFOs?

  Tom Kirkman : [reconsidering the whole thing]  Okay.

  Trey Kirkman : Tom, I won't tell anybody. I swear.

• Senator Cameron Feller : You can tell the president that when the government shuts down, he has only himself to blame, for everything.

  Tom Kirkman : No need, Senator. I think I got the message.

  Senator Cameron Feller : W- Mr. President.

  Tom Kirkman : Don't worry. It's just politics. You're pushing an advantage. That's how the game works.

  Senator : Yes, sir. It is.

  Tom Kirkman : Problem is, I don't play the game, and I'm not about to start. You both made a deal, and I expect you to honor it.

  Senator Cameron Feller : Respectfully, sir, circumstances have changed.

  Tom Kirkman : Not for me. But if this is, in fact, my last day, I'm not gonna waste it striking a compromise I don't believe in.

  Senator : That's your choice.

  Tom Kirkman : Yes, it is. It was also my choice to leave Vice President Darby a letter telling her the only budget deal to sign was the one that we had previously negotiated. I fully expect her to comply with my wishes because, well, she gave me her word like I gave you mine.

  Senator Cameron Feller : Uh, Mr. President...

  Tom Kirkman : So, when the government shuts down, you can explain to the American people that the only people whose word doesn't seem to matter is yours. Time for playing games, Senators, is over. Do your job.

• Ethan West : Mr. President, you've listened to all of today's testimony, right?

  Tom Kirkman : Yes.

  Ethan West : Was any of it untrue?

  Tom Kirkman : No.

  Ethan West : When Dr. Louden testified about your problems after your wife's death, that was accurate?

  Tom Kirkman : Yes.

  Ethan West : When Aaron Shore said you attacked Kunami without heeding counsel to wait, was that not accurate?

  Tom Kirkman : Yes.

  Ethan West : When Emily Rhodes testifies that you have a preoccupation with loyalty...

  Tom Kirkman : Yes, that was accurate, as well.

• Tom Kirkman : Today, all of you have heard what a deeply flawed man I am, either because members of my family have had to struggle through issues with mental health or because I have mourned for and miss my wife too much. Because I have expected loyalty from people that I give it to, or because I declared war on a country that I still, to this very day, believe had every intention of harming us. The truth is, I've made mistakes, but not for any of the reasons that you've heard here today. I've made mine because I'm human. And it is human to err. So I find myself sitting here trying to figure out why I'm fighting for a job that I never asked for, that I never wanted. One that has cost me dearly. But I believe that the presidency is more important than any single person. So... that's why I'm here. I'm fighting for what I believe is the integrity of the presidency, because I have heard absolutely nothing here today that would warrant or justify the removal of someone - anyone - from this great office. It's that simple.

  [Emily enters and non-verbally indicates she needs him] 

  Tom Kirkman : Madam Vice President, esteemed members of the Cabinet, I need to excuse myself. I have a budget to sign.

  [pointedly to West] 

  Tom Kirkman : Which will be the only presidential thing I'll do today.

• Ethan West : Mr. President. Congratulations.

  Tom Kirkman : Normally, I'd thank you. But I think I'll take a pass.

  Ethan West : That's kind of like thanking the IRS after an audit. I just wanted you to know that there was nothing personal, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm afraid it was. It was as personal as it gets.

• Tom Kirkman : You should know that the flaws I listed in my testimony, personally I consider them to be assets. Am I different from my predecessors? Yes. But it doesn't mean I can't do this job. The fact is, Mr. West, you proved my point perfectly. You've had to face adversity. You're different. And I consider you to be one of the best lawyers I've ever seen. Truth is, I'm surprised. I would've expected you, of all people, to understand that simply being different doesn't necessarily equal bad. In the end, it doesn't really matter, because you lost.

  Ethan West : No, sir. No, I won.

  Tom Kirkman : How do you figure?

  Ethan West : My remit was to elicit facts so the Cabinet can make the right decision. Mission accomplished.

  Tom Kirkman : How convenient. It must be nice to live in a world where you can't lose.

  Ethan West : No, sir. It's awful.

• Tom Kirkman : Agent Wells, you are a dedicated servant to your country. You have made sacrifices, both personal and professional, that go beyond the call of duty. And I want you to know that that has not gone unnoticed.

  Hannah Wells : Thank you, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : But today has been an object lesson for me in accountability. And I believe that everybody in this building needs to be accountable for what they do.

  Hannah Wells : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : The directive I gave Aaron was for you to give me more information on Andrea Frost so you could build a proper case. Instead, you chose to accost her, defame her, humiliate her publicly.

  Hannah Wells : Sir, may I explain...

  Tom Kirkman : No, you may not. Your actions constitute rank insubordination, which I cannot accept. In other words, you've given me no choice. You can no longer serve this administration.

  Hannah Wells : Mr. President...

  Tom Kirkman : Agent Wells, you've been terminated, effective immediately. Goodbye.

• Kendra Daynes : Sir, the procedures here are simple. The Cabinet has already voted to remove you. They've tabled that vote in favor of this hearing. But the burden of proof is yours.

  Tom Kirkman : So I start at a disadvantage.

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir. West will inquire into anything since your swearing in that touches your fitness to hold office. And we have no idea what his questions will be.

  Tom Kirkman : So I'm gonna have to just sit there and watch him tear my life apart.

  Kendra Daynes : No, sir. You're going to sit there and watch us win.